Safety has always been a principle concern of firearm manufacturers and owners alike. Because of this concern, there has been over the years much attention directed towards incorporating safety devices into firearm designs. These safety devices have been of various types and of various particular designs. Most any gun enthusiast is familiar with the various mechanical safeties incorporated into firearms. Besides the various mechanical safeties, it has been known to utilize a non-firing cartridge or slug within certain portions of the firearm itself. For example, see the disclosure found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,123.
But generally, firearm safety devices of the prior art have been of the type that can be readily seen or are obvious to a person having the firearm in his hands. Expressed in another way, conventional safety devices can be turned on and off by the flick of a finger. Even with slugs or dummy cartridges, they are most often designed to be placed in the firearm in an obvious and conspicuous position allowing for the safety (whether mechanical or of the slug type) made inoperative by an inquisitive and probing child, for example.
While it is true that conventional mechanical firearm safeties and even conventional slug type safeties do have utility, there are certain situations where they are not effective. In this regard, it should be noted that in recent years there have been a rash of gun shop robberies that have been accompanied by the gun shop operator or custodian being murdered. Ironically in these cases, the gun shop operator is fatally injured with a gun that he or she is demonstrating to whom he or she thinks is a potential customer. Because of the frequency of gun shop robberies and associated shootings involving the very firearm being shown, there is a need to provide a safe weapons system that will protect gun shop owners and operators while they are showing various firearms within the shop.
Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a firearm safety device that does not have the drawbacks and shortcomings of conventional and mechanical safeties and which is particularly designed to assume a hidden and non-conspicuous position within the firearm itself.